I'd give our opening last night a 7.5 out of 10. We have a ways to go. But we are making progress and we'll get there. Also, the new www.varasanos.com is behind schedule. I'm going to totally overhaul the restaurant site soon.

Excellent and congrats, Jeff!Your selfless sharing of all your efforts, hard work, and knowledge is coming back around to you in the best way and you more than deserve it.Best of luck and continued success! Now I just have to get to Atlanta...

I made my first visit to Varasano's, last night. My kids, my wife, and I all had a great time. The experience was thoroughly enjoyable. We passed on the appetizers/salads because who wants to fill up on that stuff and take away room for the pizzas . We shared several different pizzas and all the desserts. I'd say it was memorable because it's so rare to find what I'd call unique pizza experience in Atlanta. All in all, it was a great culinary outing.

I grew up watching pizzas being stretched and tossed. I felt like a kid in a candy store watching the pros twirl the thin, light dough. The decor, ambiance, and service were all excellent. The ovens let you see the pizzas cooking and there is a bar where you can sit and watch the pizzas being shaped. I've been to Jeff's house and sampled his pizza (like many others) and he's done an admirable job recreating his pizza vision in a commercial setting. I'm thrilled to have a great destination pizzeria added to the Atlanta pizza scene!

I've made homemade pizza for over 20 years of all styles and I make very good pizza . It's rare to find a pizzeria where I can't truthfully say "my pizza's better than that." Well, Varasano's is better than I can make at home. I'll be following his example and raising my game. I'll also be going back to Varasano's !

I'd give our opening last night a 7.5 out of 10. We have a ways to go. But we are making progress and we'll get there. Also, the new www.varasanos.com is behind schedule. I'm going to totally overhaul the restaurant site soon.

Jeff

Well I'm totally new here so haven't gotten to meet the more affluent members yet, but congratulations on bringing your dream to reality. Its been said its not work if you love it. As for the post to the review man the first comment on the site is some idiot ranting because the restaurant didn't advertise or take his order over the phone. I think that is hysterical if not historical. By the sounds of the location you were going for a more "upscale" atmosphere and the idea that in this kind of atmosphere you would need to send out coupons to get people to enjoy your creation is kinda short sighted in my opinion. Oh well sounds like this guy is missing out on a good pie because his nose is stuck to high in the air to realize that the world doesn't revolve around him or his building.

Well I'm totally new here so haven't gotten to meet the more affluent members yet, but congratulations on bringing your dream to reality. Its been said its not work if you love it. As for the post to the review man the first comment on the site is some idiot ranting because the restaurant didn't advertise or take his order over the phone. I think that is hysterical if not historical. By the sounds of the location you were going for a more "upscale" atmosphere and the idea that in this kind of atmosphere you would need to send out coupons to get people to enjoy your creation is kinda short sighted in my opinion. Oh well sounds like this guy is missing out on a good pie because his nose is stuck to high in the air to realize that the world doesn't revolve around him or his building.

So, you're saying that more "upscale" customers would not be enticed by, or worse yet, would be insulted by a coupon? To turn your nose up at a perfectly good form of advertising just because the community is more "affluent" is rather short-sighted, IMHO. Turning away ANY customer by telling him "NO" is VERY short-sighted and I'm willing to bet that Jeff didn't know it was going on or he would not have allowed it. That "idiot", as you call him, has a mouth and a keyboard... and he's already posted that same rant on Yelp as well....

Kudos to Jeff for living the dream... and I hope all of the reviews are positive! and smarttowers, I hope you attain your dream of meeting "the more affluent members" of these boards. For now, I guess the rest of us will have to do...

So, you're saying that more "upscale" customers would not be enticed by, or worse yet, would be insulted by a coupon? To turn your nose up at a perfectly good form of advertising just because the community is more "affluent" is rather short-sighted, IMHO. Turning away ANY customer by telling him "NO" is VERY short-sighted and I'm willing to bet that Jeff didn't know it was going on or he would not have allowed it. That "idiot", as you call him, has a mouth and a keyboard... and he's already posted that same rant on Yelp as well....

Kudos to Jeff for living the dream... and I hope all of the reviews are positive! and smarttowers, I hope you attain your dream of meeting "the more affluent members" of these boards. For now, I guess the rest of us will have to do...

~sd

Coupons de-value a good product. I would never de-value my pizza by offering coupons. Also, talk to any pizzeria owner and they will tell you, coupon customers only come back when they get another coupon. It's not a good way to advertise.

Coupons de-value a good product. I would never de-value my pizza by offering coupons. Also, talk to any pizzeria owner and they will tell you, coupon customers only come back when they get another coupon. It's not a good way to advertise.

Hmmm.... never heard of that concept before, I guess... and I was only referring to the first days of opening, just to get some attention, not an on-going thing like the chains all do. I would think in that "upscale" neighborhood, if the pizza was wonderful and you enticed them in with a coupon (something to make them remember your pizzeria as a dinner option) you wouldn't need to continue with the coupons to keep their business, but that's just conjecture on my part.

And that leads me to the other question: as a pizzeria owner, would you tell a customer "NO" in your first days after opening (or ever, if the request was reasonable...) or would you offer a solution such as "I'll gladly take your order... but we make these pizzas so fast, you'd better head down here right away!"?

It was ingrained in me a department head in a grocery store chain... we DON'T tell the customer "NO", we find a solution to their needs so that they go away happy. Perhaps for a smaller business operator that "rule" doesn't hold true... but I don't know because I have not been in that position.

ETA: I originally suggested door hangers, *possibly* with a coupon attached.... so what about the door hangers with NO coupon?

Hmmm.... never heard of that concept before, I guess... and I was only referring to the first days of opening, just to get some attention, not an on-going thing like the chains all do. I would think in that "upscale" neighborhood, if the pizza was wonderful and you enticed them in with a coupon (something to make them remember your pizzeria as a dinner option) you wouldn't need to continue with the coupons to keep their business, but that's just conjecture on my part.

And that leads me to the other question: as a pizzeria owner, would you tell a customer "NO" in your first days after opening (or ever, if the request was reasonable...) or would you offer a solution such as "I'll gladly take your order... but we make these pizzas so fast, you'd better head down here right away!"?

It was ingrained in me a department head in a grocery store chain... we DON'T tell the customer "NO", we find a solution to their needs so that they go away happy. Perhaps for a smaller business operator that "rule" doesn't hold true... but I don't know because I have not been in that position.

ETA: I originally suggested door hangers, *possibly* with a coupon attached.... so what about the door hangers with NO coupon?

~sd

Yeah, I guess telling the customer he couldn't order over the phone is a bit weird.

I agree telling him he couldn't order over the phone is not the best solution but at the same time we have no clue what the request was either. From this person's rant I honestly don't think they were being reasonable at any point during their attempt to get a pizza. My guess is they were doing something more then just trying to order over the phone, maybe ordering a large order that seemed unorthodox to the person answering the call. Maybe since I don't know the restaurant they don't take phone orders especially during a busy time if they are mostly a sit in restaurant and are backed up which could make other customers have to wait for their meals.

As far as door hangers it may not have been an option if this building is as "high scale" as they seem to think it is. People most likely couldn't just enter the building without a key and putting "trash" on someones door handle could actually do more damage then good to your reputation. I know that some people who have lots of money or even in the upper earnings seem to think they are better then others and something as simple as a sign on their door could upset them as being common and below them.

I personally don't know the whole situation but just from this person's rant my guess is they were determined to hate the place before they ever ordered because they didn't come directly to them to beg them to come eat there.

I agree telling him he couldn't order over the phone is not the best solution but at the same time we have no clue what the request was either. From this person's rant I honestly don't think they were being reasonable at any point during their attempt to get a pizza. My guess is they were doing something more then just trying to order over the phone, maybe ordering a large order that seemed unorthodox to the person answering the call. Maybe since I don't know the restaurant they don't take phone orders especially during a busy time if they are mostly a sit in restaurant and are backed up which could make other customers have to wait for their meals.

As far as door hangers it may not have been an option if this building is as "high scale" as they seem to think it is. People most likely couldn't just enter the building without a key and putting "trash" on someones door handle could actually do more damage then good to your reputation. I know that some people who have lots of money or even in the upper earnings seem to think they are better then others and something as simple as a sign on their door could upset them as being common and below them.

I personally don't know the whole situation but just from this person's rant my guess is they were determined to hate the place before they ever ordered because they didn't come directly to them to beg them to come eat there.

You're right... we don't know the circumstances, but this guy said he wanted to order "a pizza" and he thought that the residents being offered a menu or SOMETHING to announce the restaurant's opening would have been a nice gesture. I agree. He was a little overboard with his rant, but IMHO, he still has a point. And to make it clear, I was the one who suggested door hangers ONLY as an example, not knowing if they are allowed or not. But, like I said earlier, he's unhappy and he has a mouth and a keyboard... and he appears to be the type to use them. You can never make everybody happy, but I know from experience that the unhappy ones do the most talking. I'm sure it won't do Jeff's business any damage, but it is something to think about in the future.

Anyone else getting a warning from their browser when try to go to Varasano's site? This is what I'm getting:

"Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer!The website at www.varasanos.com contains elements from the site 94.247.2.195, which appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can infect your computer.For detailed information about the problems with these elements, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for 94.247.2.195."

edit: I just noticed it's only happening with Google Chrome, not Internet Explorer or Firefox

Anyone else getting a warning from their browser when try to go to Varasano's site? This is what I'm getting:

"Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer!The website at www.varasanos.com contains elements from the site 94.247.2.195, which appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can infect your computer.For detailed information about the problems with these elements, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for 94.247.2.195."

edit: I just noticed it's only happening with Google Chrome, not Internet Explorer or Firefox

This is only happening with Chrome because its is the only one of the 3 web browsers that you mentioned that have this feature. It is in an attempt to lower the spread of malware across the web by checking the page before hand to ensure there isn't any. But I have heard/seen quite a few false positives.

I live at the MEZZO... it is a upscale high rise that is home to Varasano's Pizza.... Did I say it is one of the MOST expensive apartments in ATL.

I'm surprised to see anyone defend this shallow idiot. This is the type of person who would go there and say he loved it as long he felt it was trendy enough (obviously, since it's in the MEZZO), and the price were sufficiently high- not knowing anything about good pizza at all, just whether it meets some preconceived stereotype of his of what a good restaurant is. Mr. bd2ad4u, you are exactly why everyone else in a company makes jokes about the marketing department.

Well my friend sd girl isn't gonna love me much after this, though I am about to disagree with s.t. on another thread, on this I have to calls 'em as I see 'em. Yes, coupons and door hangers are handy and friendly and open the door to a loyal customer base...in many cases. In this case Jeff surely needed no such advertising, he had tons of free press prior to opening, and was probably afraid of not being able to cook pies fast enough to meet a likely frenzy in the opening days. So imagine putting up door hangers to 300 additional apartments... right above you. They all come to get a pizza opening night. You'd then see reviews like "Varasano's was unprepared! I had to wait 2 hours to get a pizza, what a joke, never again!". So based on the opening event being massively covered already I'd say Jeff made the wiser move playing it closer to the vest. Also any pass out flier would almost have to have a coupon, again not needed to bring in business based on "the hype". I'm reminded of an episode of ''The Soprano's'' when Artie was doing badly. He had to, quite begrudgingly, resort to coupons. Anyone who saw it knows what happened...'nuff said on that.

As to phone orders, no way he can take them, good move. Not weird at all, this posters comment after the ranter summed up why perfectly.

Quote

Not to piss on your rant, but Varasano's serves a Neapolitan style pie, not NY style. And I don't mean to sound condescending but Neapolitan-style pizza typically cooks in under 2 minutes, which equals the time it takes to process your credit card.

The ranter had said "...so i can wait in the comfort of my home." Lol, what, for 1 minute? If you need rest that bad forget the pizza, just get some sleep! Jeff knows his pizza cooks fast. Anyone further away from right upstairs, as in the rest of Atlanta, would show up to receive a NOT FRESH product. He would have 20 idle pizzas waiting for pick up at all times. Nowhere in his recipe does Jeff mention "place under heat lamp or atop hot oven to keep warm" as this are not conducive to the quality nor reputation he wants to have spread. If it takes you 15 minutes to drive it home, that's your issue, he still served it fresh out of the oven.

Logged

"If God said you can come to heaven now, but you have to stop eating my pizza, you'd stay and finish instead, right?" - Essen1

The ranter had said "...so i can wait in the comfort of my home." Lol, what, for 1 minute? If you need rest that bad forget the pizza, just get some sleep! Jeff knows his pizza cooks fast. Anyone further away from right upstairs, as in the rest of Atlanta, would show up to receive a NOT FRESH product. He would have 20 idle pizzas waiting for pick up at all times. Nowhere in his recipe does Jeff mention "place under heat lamp or atop hot oven to keep warm" as this are not conducive to the quality nor reputation he wants to have spread. If it takes you 15 minutes to drive it home, that's your issue, he still served it fresh out of the oven.

You're assuming that he could make the guy's pizza right away. The pizza might take 2 minutes but it might be 30 minutes until it goes in the oven.

You're assuming that he could make the guy's pizza right away. The pizza might take 2 minutes but it might be 30 minutes until it goes in the oven.

Yes I am. Being that it only takes 2 minutes to make a pie it would take the aforementioned 300 apartment tenants coming down at once opening day to create a huge backup. Even seeing a 30 minute delay would probably take 2 buses filled of little league victors walking in at once.

If you compare it to the conveyor belts at Pizza hut where they only hold X amount of pans, and crawl along at near undetectable speed, yes a standard full room of diners can make 30 minutes pretty standard. I'd guess Jeff cranks them out pretty fast though, Gladware containers at the ready and all.

Logged

"If God said you can come to heaven now, but you have to stop eating my pizza, you'd stay and finish instead, right?" - Essen1

Yes I am. Being that it only takes 2 minutes to make a pie it would take the aforementioned 300 apartment tenants coming down at once opening day to create a huge backup. Even seeing a 30 minute delay would probably take 2 buses filled of little league victors walking in at once.

If you compare it to the conveyor belts at Pizza hut where they only hold X amount of pans, and crawl along at near undetectable speed, yes a standard full room of diners can make 30 minutes pretty standard. I'd guess Jeff cranks them out pretty fast though, Gladware containers at the ready and all.

I guess you have never worked in a restaurant because it doesn't work that way. Besides the bake time, there are lots of other factors. The food in most restaurant takes only a few minutes to make, so why do restaurants get backed up? I know at my place if someone just shows up at 6pm, there is little chance they getting a pizza for at least 45 minutes and my pizzas take only 4-5 minutes to bake. Also, I read something that said the oven temp at Varasano's was in the 600-700 degree range(I can't remember the exact temperature)which means he is not making pies in 2 minutes. I bake at 600-700 and mine take 4-5 minutes. You also have to factor in the time it takes to stretch the dough, sauce, top and get it in the oven. As well as, appetizers, salads, drinks, clueless waiters, stupid host/hostess that sat 10 tables at once and then they all order at the same time. All of these things are factors in every restaurant.

You also have to factor in, a pie got burnt, someone dropped a salad, we ran out of this so I have to prep more, someone sent an order back so we have to re do it, Jim just cut his finger, Dave didn't show up for his shift, the dishwasher's not working and we're out of plates etc. Nevermind the fact that the place just opened and everyone is just getting a feel for things. Yeah, it's reasonable to expect your pie in 2 minutes!

2. On a really busy night if someone walks in how long will they wait for a pizza?A: On a really busy night, 15 minutes.

There you have it,

J,

As a general proposition, I tend never to believe any estimate--by a person or a machine--of the amount of time it will take to provide me with any service or to perform a task. Even when I double the estimate given, I am very often wrong.

As a general proposition, I tend never to believe any estimate--by a person or a machine--of the amount of time it will take to provide me with any service or to perform a task. Even when I double the estimate given, I am very often wrong.

Peter

Yes, I'm just basing it on him actually being there on busy nights. Just trying to gather some facts for the thread, don't mean to start a big pizza fight or anything.